Warriors- Twisted Fates
by Amberwing of FireClan
Summary: A few steps in a different direction; a much different story. Two adventurous kittypets. Four Clans. One forest. But this isn't the story you once knew. Every decision made will be only one of many choices that will change the course of the Clans. Rated T for blood and animal death. (I'll post the cover image soon, I haven't started to draw it yet.)
1. Part I- Prologue

**A/N: Introducing my AU! You'll learn more about it as we go. Hope you enjoy!**

In the darkness of night, only the near-half moon and the stars in the sky broke through the shadows with their bright light. The silence was only broken by the quietly  
frothing river, like a lion just learning how to roar. The rocks beside the river were swarming with a small group of cats. Suddenly, another group of cats leapt out of the  
shadows of the forest, and within moments, the otherwise peaceful scene turned into a battlefield of screeching cats.

A dark brown tabby tomcat had a reddish-brown tom pinned beneath his paws, growling in his face. "Oakheart," the brown tabby growled, "how dare you hunt in our territory? The Sunningrocks belong to ThunderClan!"

Oakheart hissed back up at the dark tom holding him down. "After tonight, Tigerclaw, this is just another RiverClan hunting ground!"

Tigerclaw yowled and brought up his paw for a blow to the RiverClan tom when he was shoved off him. Tigerclaw looked up and saw a black she-cat, anger in her yellow-orange eyes. Tigerclaw hissed and leapt at the she-cat to claw her back, but she nimbly dodged out of the way. The black she scratched Tigerclaw's muzzle. He had to squint as the blood nearly got into his eyes. He unsheathed his claws for another swipe when he heard the scream of a ThunderClan cat split the air. The black cat looked up, trying to find the source of the scream. _Now's my chance,_ Tigerclaw thought. He gripped the she by the shoulders and threw her into a nearby rock. He caught a glimpse of her moving to get up before he ran to help his Clanmate.

A small, dusky brown she-cat was crouching defiantly before a brown tabby tom, a huge gash on her shoulder. The tabby was about to pounce on his opponent when Tigerclaw tackled him, knocking the breath out of the RiverClan warrior. "Run, Mousefur," Tigerclaw encouraged, "while he's down!"

Mousefur struggled to her paws before pelting back into the forest, her wound dripping blood behind her. Tigerclaw turned his attention to the brown striped tabby, who was now back on his paws, hissing. He unsheathed his claws and attacked the tom's side, getting a few good scratches in before the RiverClan cat cuffed his ear with unsheathed claws. Anger fueling Tigerclaw, he clawed the tom's face. The enemy recoiled, bleeding from a wound just above his eye, before turning tail and swimming across the river to safety.

"Look out!" Tigerclaw looked up to see a white and gray she-cat standing on one of the rocks, fear sparking in her green gaze. "More RiverClan warriors are approaching!"

Tigerclaw glanced across the river to see that his Clanmate was right; when that one cat had left, five more had slipped into the river unnoticed until now. They climbed out, anger and bloodlust noticeable in their eyes.

"Tigerclaw," gasped a tortoiseshell ThunderClan tom popping up beside the large tabby, "this is useless! There are far too many RiverClan warriors!"

"No, Redtail!" Tigerclaw protested. "ThunderClan will never be beaten."

"ThunderClan will honor your courage, Tigerclaw," Redtail retorted, "but we will have another opportunity to avenge this defeat, mark my words." The tortoiseshell then leaped up onto a nearby rock, letting out a caterwaul. "ThunderClan, retreat!"

The ThunderClan cats broke off from their opponents, running into the shadowed forest. Tigerclaw reluctantly followed as Redtail leaped down from the rock. The last thing he heard before he disappeared into the shadows was the victory yowl of Oakheart, filling him with rage.

* * *

Deep in the forest, a small ravine opened the ground. Surrounded by gorse and brambles, the hollow atthe bottom was deadly quiet. The lone rock that stood jutting out of the center had the only creature in the ravine on top of it; a blue-gray she-cat, with some silver around her muzzle and tail. She sat silent in the night, looking up at the stars. She looked to her side as a pretty tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat clambered up the rock beside her. "Spottedleaf," the gray she-cat greeted, "how is Mousefur?"

"Her wounds are deep, Bluestar," Spottedleaf replied, "but she's young and strong. She'll heal quickly."

"And the others?" Bluestar ventured.

"They will all recover too," Spottedleaf verified.

Bluestar sighed in relief. "We are lucky not to have lost any cats. You are a gifted medicine cat, Spottedleaf." The she-cat then turned her gaze to the stars again.

"Are you asking StarClan for answers?" Spottedleaf asked, looking up at Bluestar worriedly.

"Yes," Bluestar answered. "Tonight's defeat has troubled me. ThunderClan has not been defeated in its own territory since I became leader. Newleaf is late, and there have been fewer kits."

"But the frost has only just begun to melt," Spottedleaf pointed out. "There will be more kits when greenleaf comes."

"True, but training our young takes time. RiverClan has been moving closer and closer to our territory, and ShadowClan has been growing restless. We may not have the time to train them. Has StarClan spoken to you?" Bluestar lamented.

"Not for some moons, Bluestar," Spottedleaf replied. She looked up at the stars. Suddenly, her eyes turned glazed as she stared up. Following her gaze, Bluestar noticed a shooting star. It kept going until it disappeared behind a tree. A cold wind blew across the camp, making Bluestar shiver. Spottedleaf wasn't affected at all.

"It was a prophecy," Spottedleaf whispered, snapping out of her trance. "From StarClan."

"What did it say?" Bluestar questioned.

"Fire and ice will save the Clans."

"Fire? Ice?" Bluestar frowned, confused. "But fire is feared by all the Clans! And ice is nothing special. How can fire and ice save the Clans?"

"I am not sure," Spottedleaf admitted.

Bluestar sighed. "Very well. If StarClan has spoken, then it must be so. Fire and ice will save the Clans."

 **A/N: Before any of you ask, no, the ice is not Scourge. It's another cat. You'll find out soon enough. Also, if you can find out who the white and gray cat is before she is revealed, you get a cookie! Hint: She doesn't end up in the same place in this AU as she does in the canon.**

 **Have a nice day!**


	2. Part I- Chapter One

At the edge of the forest, a single mouse was nibbling on a seed. Little did it know, it was about to be attacked. A ginger tom stalked towards it, his coat blending in with his sun-dappled surroundings. Once he got close enough, he crouched low to the ground. He was about to pounce when a loud rattling made the mouse run away. The tom angrily looked around, trying to find what had prevented him from catching his otherwise easy kill. The rattling continued, perplexing the tom even more.

The tom blinked, and suddenly he was in his bed, and in his house. The Twoleg beside him noticed he had woken up and pet him, cooing at him. The only word the ginger cat could make out in the Twoleg's gibberish language was "Rusty," his name.

Once the Twoleg was done petting Rusty, she went into the other room. Rusty looked at his food bowl and saw that it was full. That must have been the rattling noise. He crawled out of his bed and ate the food but didn't eat much. He hated how bland it was, and he wasn't even that hungry. Then, Rusty turned and walked out of the cat flap in the door. The setting sun tinted everything light orange, and the forest beyond the fence looked as shadowy and hidden as ever.

"Rusty!" The tomcat pricked his ears as his Twolegs called him. If he went, he would be met with cuddles and warmth. But Rusty wasn't in the mood. He jumped onto the fence, staring out into the forest. What was it like in there? What animals lived there? Rusty desperately wanted to explore.

"Hi, Rusty!" called a voice behind him.

Rusty turned around to see Smudge, his best friend since he had moved in with the Twolegs. "Hi, Smudge!"

"You curious about the forest again?" his friend asked.

"Yeah. I always wondered what was in there," Rusty replied.

"Henry went there once. He said he caught a robin there!" Smudge exclaimed.

Rusty snorted in amusement. "That fat old tabby couldn't go in the woods if he tried! He's so big, it's a wonder he can stand up."

Smudge laughed. "Yeah, I doubted it too. But I've also heard from other housecats that there are other cats that live in the forest. Cats like us, but they're feral and mean. According to some cats, they attack and sometimes kill other cats that show up on their turf and sharpen their claws on old bones!"

"I'm still not sure if that's true," Rusty murmured. "I want to go in there myself, to see if those kit tales are true!"

"I'm curious, too," Smudge admitted, "but I'm a scared to go in there. What if those old stories are true?"

"That's 'if,' Smudge," Rusty pointed out. "We should find out for ourselves!"

"Maybe we'll be the ones telling stories. Stories we know are true!" Smudge pondered. "Then we'll never have to doubt other sources… but I'm still not sure."

"Stick with me," Rusty offered. "If any feral cats come along to attack us, we might give them a good beating before we come back!"

Smudge sat for a moment, thinking. Then he stood up. "Fine, I'll come. But just because I'm worried you'll get hurt!"

Rusty knew there was probably more to it, but he didn't push the matter any further. "Alright, let's go!" He jumped off the fence, Smudge following behind more slowly.

Once they reached the forest, they looked around. "Are you sure about this, Rusty?" Smudge asked, looking around frantically.

"We'll be fine," Rusty reassured. "Those feral cats are probably just kit tales!"

"If you say so," Smudge mumbled. He still seemed unsettled as he followed his friend.

Rusty stopped when he noticed a mouse. "Watch this," he whispered to Smudge. "I'm going to catch this thing!"

Smudge nodded and settled by a tree while Rusty crouched and approached his prey. The ginger tom was about to pounce when he heard a yowl behind him. "Rusty!"

The mouse looked up and scampered away. Rusty looked up at his friend, angry. "What was that for?"

"Behind you!"

Rusty turned around just as a gray blur crashed into him, bowling him into the ground. He heard Smudge hiss and the weight disappeared from his back. He looked up and saw a young gray tom growling at a hissing Smudge. Rusty knew that Smudge was probably scared out of his mind and was just putting on a brave face. He jumped up and attacked the gray tom from behind, making him yowl in surprise and anger. "Get out of here, Smudge!" Rusty called.

"I'm not leaving when you're in danger!" Smudge spat, trying to claw at the feral cat's face. His claws finally connected at the tom's cheek, making him yowl in shock again.

Meanwhile, Rusty was clawing at the gray tom's back when he pulled out from under him. "Alright, alright!" the young tomcat hissed, clambering up to the lowest branch in a nearby tree. "I get it, I'll stop! No need to gang up on me!"

"Why did you attack me, then?" Rusty hissed.

"Because you're on ThunderClan territory! Now I'd advise you leave before Lionheart and Bluestar come along; you'll be crowfood! They're much better at fighting than I am!"

"I didn't understand anything you just said!" Smudge yelled up at the gray tom. "What's ThunderClan? Who is Lionheart and Bluestar? Who are _you_?"

The tom sighed. "I'll explain if you don't attack me and let me come down there."

"Will you attack us?" Rusty retorted.

"No, but you'll still need to leave here after," the tomcat promised.

"Fine."

The feral cat crawled back down the tree. He settled down at the base and started grooming the scratch on his side that Rusty inflicted. "My name's Graypaw," he explained between licks, "and I'm an apprentice of ThunderClan."

"I swear, you speak more gibberish than the Twolegs!" Smudge groaned.

Graypaw sighed again before he began grooming the wound on his cheek with a paw. Rusty felt a sting on his side and looked down to see a scratch there. He began grooming that while listening to Graypaw.

"So," Graypaw began, "ThunderClan is one of the four groups of cats that live in the forest. There's also RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan. I've reached six moons a while ago, so now I'm training to be a full member of the Clan."

"Why couldn't you train earlier?" Smudge asked.

"Because according to the code our warrior ancestors set, kits cannot be apprenticed until they reach six moons."

"There's a code?" Smudge squeaked. "I thought you all just lived recklessly in the wild and killed for no reason!"

"We kill to survive," Graypaw gasped, sounding offended. "Wouldn't you, if you lived in the wild? We only kill prey to eat, and only kill other cats if there is no other option. Well, most of us. ShadowClan doesn't seem to follow that rule."

"ShadowClan's another Clan in the forest, you said," Rusty asked, finishing his grooming, "right?"

Graypaw nodded. "Back when a tom named Raggedstar was leader, ShadowClan followed the code like any other Clan. Then his son, Brokenstar, came into power after Raggedstar's sudden and mysterious death, and it all fell apart from there. But you might not understand. You're kittypets, after all."

"Kittypets?" Smudge and Rusty echoed in unison.

"What you are," Graypaw explained. "Cats who live with the Twolegs. Your collars are a dead giveaway."

"What's wrong with that?" Smudge asked.

"It's an undignified life!" Graypaw spat. "Eating food that looks like rabbit dung? Making dirt in a box of gravel? Sticking your nose outside only if your Twolegs let you? That's no way to live your life! Out here, it's wild, and it's free. I bet your Twolegs gave you stupid names like Ginger and Spotty."

"Actually," Rusty corrected, "my name's Rusty, and my friend here is Smudge."

"At least those are more creative." Graypaw grumbled. "But still, how do you stand it? Especially when you know that you'll have to go to the Cutter."

"The Cutter?" Rusty echoed.

"Y'know, the Twoleg that kittypets go to, and when the kittypets return, they aren't the same."

"Like, fat, lazy, and boring 'not the same?'" Smudge asked.

"Yes, exactly like that."

"That must be what happened to Henry!" Smudge gasped.

Graypaw chuckled. "Henry? And just when I thought Twolegs couldn't name their kittypets stupider things." Suddenly he paused. "I smell cats from my Clan. You should go."

"I can't smell anything," Rusty said, confused.

"I think Graypaw's right," Smudge gasped.

"I know I smell someone," Graypaw hissed, "and you need to go! They might not be as welcoming as I am."

"It's not like you were welcoming!" Rusty pointed out. "You attacked me."

"You were-"

"And what were these kittypets doing, Graypaw?" growled a voice from the shadows.

Rusty looked up and saw a blue-gray she-cat and a large golden tom towering over him, Smudge, and Graypaw.


	3. Part I- Chapter Two

Any confidence Smudge had after defeating Graypaw was drained as he stared up at the cats. _Were Henry's stories true?_ Smudge thought. Many horrible scenarios exploded in Smudge's head, and he shook his head furiously to clear it. _No time for that. I need to worry about now._

"Graypaw," the golden tom said, interrupting Smudge's thoughts, "you shouldn't stray so near Twolegplace!"

"I know, Lionheart," Graypaw mewed, "but these cats were trespassing!"

"And they're still here, and you are wounded," the blue-gray she-cat pointed out. Then she turned to Smudge and Rusty.

 _Is she going to hurt us? Chase us out? Kill us?_ Once again, Smudge's imagination got the better of him.

But the gray cat only meowed, "You did well, for never having been in the wild before." She looked at Rusty. "You would have caught that mouse if your friend hadn't warned you about Graypaw. Speaking of which," she added, turning to Smudge, "you must have good senses, if you detected Graypaw when he was upwind. And I was surprised by how well the both of you fought. What are your names?"

"I'm Rusty," the ginger tom replied, "and this is my friend, Smudge. Who are you?"

"My name is Bluestar, and I am the leader of ThunderClan," the blue-gray she introduced herself, dipping her head. "You were great for kittypets. But you must leave now."

"Leave?" Rusty echoed. "But we only came for a mouse or two! I'm sure there's enough to go around."

The admiration in Bluestar's eyes snapped to anger in a split second. Smudge's heart pounded as Bluestar got in Rusty's face. "There's never enough to go around! If you didn't live such a soft, overfed life, you would know that!"

Smudge's will to defend his friend overrode his fear. "W-we didn't know! We weren't even sure if feral cats lived in these woods!"

Bluestar slowly turned her head to Smudge, locking eyes with him. Smudge knew his legs were visibly trembling, but he stood up and met her gaze.

"I didn't think of it that way," Rusty mewed, making Bluestar swivel her ears towards him. "I'm sorry. I won't hunt here again."

"Agreed." Smudge added.

Bluestar seemed to calm down and drew herself up. "You are braver than you think," she murmured to Smudge.

 _Me?_ Smudge thought. _Brave?_

As if Bluestar could read his thoughts, she responded. "You knew you were scared, but you acknowledged that and defended your friend anyway. That is what true courage is."

Smudge noticed his legs stopped trembling as Bluestar turned to Rusty. "And you are brave, too. The courage to admit you were wrong is hard to find in most cats."

Bluestar then turned back to Lionheart. They talked in hushed whispers before turning back to Rusty and Smudge. "We need more warriors," Bluestar told them. "We could use your courage and strength in the upcoming moons."

Smudge gasped in shock a moment before Bluestar asked, "Rusty, Smudge, would you like to join ThunderClan?"

"But they can't be warriors!" Graypaw, who had held his tongue until now, gasped. "They don't have warrior blood!"

"Warrior blood," Bluestar sighed, "too much of that has been spilled these past moons."

Smudge sat in thought, about to weigh out the pros and cons before Bluestar ended up doing it for him. "Life in the wild is rough. There are other Clans, borders to watch, and prey is hard to find in the harsh leaf-bare season. But the rewards are great. You will remain toms. You will no longer have to rely on your Twolegs to choose for you how to live. You will be wild, and you will be free."

Both Smudge and Rusty sat in silence until Rusty spoke up. "Can we have a while to think about it?"

"Very well," Bluestar replied. "Lionheart will be here at sunhigh. Give him your answer then." With that, she turned and walked back into the forest with Lionheart and Graypaw.

Rusty, too stood up and left to go back to his house, Smudge following him. They walked in silence until they reached the fence. "I'm going with them," Rusty suddenly declared.

"What?" Smudge exclaimed. "You already made your decision?"

"I'm tired of life as a kittypet," Rusty admitted.

Smudge was about to correct him, saying it was "housecat," but realized Rusty was speaking in warrior dialect. Smudge thought for a minute. "I'll still need to sleep on it," Smudge told Rusty.

Rusty nodded. Then he leapt over the fence and back into his house. Smudge did the same, only he went next door, to his home.

Smudge settled in his bed, looking around. Here, he had a constant supply of food, love, and attention. He also had plenty of friends here. Would he leave all of them to live in the wild? _Not all of them,_ Smudge reminded himself. He'd always be with Rusty. And he'd make plenty of new friends in the Clan.

Smudge decided to sleep on it, like he told Rusty he would. He curled up and fell asleep.

Smudge dreamed that night. He was wandering the forest, free of his collar. He looked around the forest for… something. Smudge didn't know. What he did find, however, was the eyes of Clan cats in the trees. Eyes of all colors; amber and yellow, blue and green. They were in his dream.

Smudge awoke with a jolt. Looking outside from the nearby window, he noticed the moon high in the sky.

Smudge had made his decision.


End file.
